Tag Archives: goals

Monday Motivation: Find your balance

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Balance is not something you find. It's something you create. Fitness and health is a balancing act. Balance allows us to remain successful in our efforts towards our goals. To remain sane and happy in our pursuit. Tipping the scale too much to the fitness side can be just as unsatisfying as tipping it too far the other way. But balance also requires patience and kindness. Trying too hard and too fast to get back into our fitness routine, to change overnight, will cause burnout. You have to have patience. Drowning yourself in guilt for indulging over the weekend will push you off course. You have to be kind to yourself.

Strive each day for balance.

Everyone’s balancing act is different and no one can tell you what ratio of fitness, life, and indulgence is right for you. You have to know yourself, know what makes you happy, to ultimately find YOUR balance. Once you find it you’ll be well on your way to reaching your goals and living a healthy, happy life! 💜

Monday Motivation: Always be improving

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compete with who you were yesterday_ironwomandiaries“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” -Steve Prefontaine

Today, reflect on how far you’ve come and imagine how far you will go. Be determined. Be focused. Always be growing and improving. You may walk the same road twice, run the same miles, bike the same hills, but always you’ll be in a different place in your life. Every day is different. Every day is a new day to give everything you have, to be your best, to improve on yesterday. You will be stronger than you were yesterday. You will reach your goals. Dare to be your best, to always be improving, and to chase your dreams one mile at a time! 💜

Monday Motivation: Embrace the journey

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difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinationsFitness is an ever evolving thing. It ebbs and flows. Some days/weeks/months training is intense and satisfying, while at other times it’s exhausting and displeasing. And, at times, we get caught up in trying to find a “quick fix”, wanting results right now. But reality is, anything worthwhile in life is achieved by hard work, determination, perseverance, sweat and tears. It takes time. It takes hard work. You will fall and you will fail. But you will get back up. You will succeed.

Part of embracing the journey is realizing how far you’ve come to this point. Acknowledge all of the obstacles that have been in your way and that you have overcome. Celebrate your victories, no matter how small they may seem. Avoid negativity. Focus on you and your goals. Accept that there are things you can’t control and focus on improving the ones you can. Forgive yourself and have patience. Tackle each day as it comes and give it your all. Know that you can love your body and still want to change it. Even finishing the race last is an accomplishment—remember that.

Embrace the journey. Without it there is no destination. 💜

But first, running: 6 Reasons to run in the morning

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Woman running at sunrise

Running in the morning has become a satisfying addiction for me. The treadmill pulls at my body like a magnet; pulling me to it every morning. Of course the first week or two are always easy. You set high hopes and goals and refuse to let yourself down. Then, as if a force is working against you, you think of every possible reason why you shouldn’t get your morning run in—I have too much work, I’m too tired, it’s too cold, my knees hurt, etc. But you push through all of the noise and do it anyway. You stick to your goal and something amazing happens—you start to enjoy it. You start to see its benefits and that solidifies your desire to get up and get running every morning. Don’t believe me? Here are six reasons to run in the morning:

  1. A more focused mind and increased productivity.
    It’s amazing how much more productive and focused you become simply by running in the morning. In fact, working out can increase your mental clarity up to ten hours post exercise!
  2. Increased energy to get you through the day.
    Although it seems counter-intuitive to think you’ll have more energy throughout the day if you burn energy in the morning, you will. By starting your day with a workout, you will be more likely to beat that dreaded afternoon slump.
  3. Stress relief right from the start.
    Starting your day with a stress-relieving activity will set yourself up for less stress when you get to work, according to a recent study. Additionally, people who exercised regularly reported feeling more confident and felt good about their work-life balance.
  4. A better mood that sets the tone for the rest of your day.
    It’s no secret that working out will release endorphins, which means you’ll be in a better mood. Why wouldn’t you want to start your day on a high?
  5. Feel accomplished and ready to tackle anything.
    Kick off your day already feeling accomplished. This will set the tone for the rest of your day—ready to tackle anything that comes your way. And, if you don’t accomplish anything else… at least you got your run in! 😜
  6. Better sleep at night.
    Simply by running in the morning, you could find yourself sleeping better throughout the night. Studies have also shown that people who exercise in the morning have an easier time of falling asleep at night.

There are many other reasons why running (or doing some form of exercise) in the morning is beneficial, but hopefully the ones I did list above are enough to convince you to do so. I’ve personally realized all of those benefits now that I’ve incorporated a morning workout into my daily routine. I feel less stressed at work and more focused. I have more energy throughout the day and I start my day feeling accomplished. I hope you also realize these things by adding in a morning run!

Happy [morning] running! 💜

What’s your story? [OR why being YOU is all that matters]

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young ballerinas Your story isn’t their story. Just like their story isn’t yours.

I’m going to tell you a secret: Everyone’s body is different and everyone’s talent is different. Okay maybe you already knew that. But until you actually allow yourself to accept that, you will NEVER be happy with who you are and where you are in your life.

For me this is an ongoing process—a process of accepting myself, knowing my strengths, and recognizing my weaknesses.

I saw something recently that is a necessary reminder for us all: social media and blogs often only show the best part of a person’s life. (In fact this story just came out that highlights this further: Social media is not real, says teen Instagram star) Social media and blogs don’t show us real life, struggles endured, or what often is raw reality. We only see what that person wants us to see. Obviously this isn’t the case for everyone, some people do show all aspects of their life and keep it real. However, too many times we only see this false, fairy-tale like reality created by a person behind a computer screen. We start comparing ourselves to these versions of reality and consume ourselves with how perfect everyone else seems to have it, all while we struggle along. Next time you catch yourself in this hole, remind yourself that you are only seeing part of the story.

There is a particular aspect of my life that I am not entirely happy with, a part of my life that I am not yet ready to share. However, I will say, that I have decided to focus on the positives of what I do enjoy about that piece of my life puzzle and consume my mind with those vibes. To let the negativity go and focus solely on me and what I can control.

These are a few things I’ve learned that you may also find beneficial in your own life and happiness journey:

  • Comparing my chapter one to someone else’s chapter twenty leads to nothing more than self-doubt and insecurities.
  • All I can be is me—every bit of imperfect me. And I’m learning to accept that, to accept me, and to focus on my story. I can (and do) use others’ stories as motivation and inspiration, but focusing on my goals and myself is what will make me happy in the end.
  • My story isn’t written yet. I am in control of how each chapter ends and how new ones start. Live for my own dreams and goals.
  • Just because I haven’t reached my goals yet doesn’t mean I am a failure or haven’t made progress (this goes for both personal/professional and fitness).
  • So what if it takes me longer to achieve what I want. Enjoy the journey and be open to change.

What have you done lately to focus on you? To ignore someone else’s story, knowing that their story isn’t yours?

Here are words I’ve found enlightening and inspirational recently (from a few of my favorite Instagram peeps):



https://www.instagram.com/p/80Tt1_lREP/